Help with new scents

Hi Guys,

So I have bought a new razor and some nice new products. I wanted to see what all the fuss regarding colognes etc is.

Normally I would splash on a bit of le male or even some hugo but the scents here seem much more ..... intriguing.

Is there a difference in the products offered by shaving sites or the reviews here versus the standard male orientated aftershaves and aue de toilets.

I like lime aftershave or i kick it old school and go with skin bracer.

So you wouldn't use an actual "main stream" aftershave?

I think the items discussed in these forums vary from the typical things you find at Target (though there's nothing wrong with drug store fragrances). If you don't want to smell like every other guy, sometimes you have to get off the beaten path.

Ah, that is true,

I think I will spend a bit of time in one of the local department store and have a sniff!

You're going to find people here lauding everything from drugstore scents all the way up to the most expensive fragrance house.

I won't say it's a general rule or anything, but the gentlemen here seem to be more willing to seek out niche fragrances, whether inexpensive or expensive, than your average guy. That is, most common department store scents don't get much play around here. Many times, these wonderful niche EDTs have been around since immemorial but go by unnoticed because you can't find them in Dillard's.

Is there a difference between them, though? Sure there is, IMO. I may step on a few toes here, but to me, many department store scents don't have very much character and smell alike. There are exceptions, of course, but I have never been very impressed with much of the stuff you find in common stores. By listening to the advice of people here, I've found some really wonderful stuff that is different and many times not all that expensive.

As far as aftershave is concerned, I use both "uncommon" stuff as well as items right off the drugstore shelf. Many of the people that poo-poo drugstore and "mainstream" aftershaves (not on here, but in general) are the same ones that only associate these scents with an older relative and have never so much as opened a bottle to find out for themselves.

I guess you'll have to find out for yourself. If something sounds intriguing to you, use the search engine to find a place that sells samples and decants of these fragrances for a nominal fee. For aftershave, there's a ton of inexpensive gems at your local drugstore, but if you're looking for something a little more high-falutin', let your heart be your guide. I've never bought an aftershave that I felt was truly bad; can't say the same for colognes.

If you're ever unhappy with anything, reselling something on the BST (after you have the required number of posts) usually gets rid of it in a couple minutes

Edit: One word of advice concerning department store scents and accompanying aftershaves: They have a bad habit of simply diluting that cologne and passing it off as a high-end splash. They're generally not worth it, IMO. They're little more than alcohol and fragrance and do little or nothing for your skin. You're much better off seeking out either drugstore aftershaves or the myriad examples that are highly touted here.

I agree with a lot of what OSY says above about the niche scents.

But there are a lot of great scents in department stores too.

I would point you to Penhailgons as one sort of niche frag house to check out. Trick is finding a place to sample. Depends on where you live.

There are a lot of "aftershave" routines that don't involve a scent so as not to interfere with fragrance. I often finish with a bit of witch hazel and some unscented balm.

But just keep poking around in here for cologne ideas...it runs the gamut...Pinaud Clubman and Tabac fans to Amouage and Creed fans.

Depending on where you are, a trip to the mall can be educational, and overwhelming. I stopped by a mall outside Dallas a couple of weeks ago and found much of the Creed line and some of Tom Ford's stuff at a Neiman Marcus, along with the more common, popular scents. At Macy's, in the same mall, it was only the popular names ... none of the "niche" fragrances at all.

Other problems: the sales folks like to put a little spray of EdT on a piece of cardboard for you, or else give you a mighty spray on one arm that pretty much ruins your sniffer for the rest of the afternoon. So it can be hard to get a sense of how a particular scent will smell on you. By the time your nose recovers, the residue of that spritz will be well into its death throes.